| | February 27, 2026--------- | | |
This Sunday's Sermon: "As the Wind Blows!"
Sunday @ 10:00 am
This week's Gospel lesson is from John 3:1-17. Nicodemus asks Jesus how it is possible to be reborn. Jesus talks about being reborn of the Spirit.
| | | Join us in the pews, in the Zoom or streamed on facebook.
Zoom Meeting ID: 753 4674 0584 or Zoom in here. Preview the service here. | | |
Calling All Singers!
For many years at St. John we ended the service on Easter Sunday with our rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. It's a bit much for our little choir, so Sean Michael Jackman invites you to participate to sign up and come to a couple of rehearsals. Find out how you can be a part of it here.
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Guest Musician this Sunday!
This Sunday we welcome multi-instrumentalist Jeff Karoub who will join our service and provide special music. Read more about Jeff here. Welcome Jeff!
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Lenten Mid-week Study
Wednesdays during Lent, 6:00 pm
We gather for a simple meal followed by a discussion of A Watered Garden by Benjamin M. Stewart.
This Worship Matters Studies Series examines key worship issues through studies by pastors, musicians, and lay people from throughout the ELCA, beginning with the classic, ecumenically held patterns of Christian worship and exploring them for their deep connections to ecological wisdom, for their sacramental approaches to creation, and for a renewed relationship to the earth now itself in need of God’s healing.
This week's topic is "water."
Books are available at the Sunday services or when we meet on Wednesdays. More information here.
Can you provide soup or bread? Help with setup or cleanup? Please sign up here.
| | We need to know how many are coming! Please sign up here. Contact Ashleigh Altemann if you have questions. | | |
In Christian sympathy
we offer condolences to the family and friends of Judy Abar who passed away on February 13. There will be a service on Saturday, March 7 at 10:00 am with visitation beginning at 9:00 am at
A. H. Peters Funeral Home
20705 Mack Ave
Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236 map
A luncheon will follow at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.
Rest eternal grant Judy, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon her.
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Standing in the Gap
“We give up a little for Lent to give to others.”
Giving up something for Lent? Set aside the money you would have spent and do something good with it.
| | The Women of St. John challenges the congregation during Lent to match our donation to Standing in the Gap, a partnership of nonprofit organizations and community leaders, including St. John, who are united in the mission to confront food insecurity in the Detroit area. | | | |
Right now, too many of our neighbors are struggling to make ends meet because of the soaring costs of groceries and everyday necessities. The Standing in the Gap Collective is a mobile pop-up grocery store and hot meal service currently operating two days a week and hoping to expand soon to five days a week. By donating the cost of a meal, you can help them reach their goal. Read more about Standing in the Gap here.
To make a donation, write Standing in the Gap on the memo line on your check or envelope and submit by April 2, Maundy Thursday. Or give online here. Select the Standing in the Gap item from the menu.
For more information, contact Gilda Wong or Loraine Stear.
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Women of St. John
Wednesday, March 10 @ 10:00 am Blue Hat Coffee
We meet at 10:00 am at Blue Hat Coffee in downtown Farmington on the second Wednesday and the fourth Monday of each month for brunch and fellowship. All women are invited to join us! For more information, contact Gilda Wong or Loraine Stear.
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Annual Congregational Meeting
Sunday, March 8 following the Service
All St. John members are encouraged to attend this meeting, which will include election of some new Board Members and approval of the 2026/2027 budget. You can read the 2025 Annual Report here.
If you cannot attend in person, you may Zoom in. Use the regular Sunday worship Zoom. If you are worshiping on our facebook livestream, you will need to switch to Zoom for the meeting. Zoom Meeting ID: 753 4674 0584 or Zoom in here.
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The First Thursday
Thursday, March 5 @ 6:00 pm
We gather on the first Thursday of each month for fellowship, food and conversation. Please bring:
- a dish to share
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a beverage
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friends!
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AED Training
Thursday, March 12 @ 6:00 pm
Do you know that St. John has an AED (automated external defibrillator)? AEDs are used to help those experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. It's a sophisticated, yet easy-to-use, medical device that can analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm. They can be life-saving in getting immediate assistance to someone before the EMS arrives.
Are you comfortable using one? Most people report they aren't. Come join John Dresden and Gilda Bingham to learn what to do and when if a medical emergency happens in our church. We will have mannequins and a trainer-level AED for practice. But please note this is NOT a CPR full training program. Contact John or Gilda if you have questions.
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Holy Week Worship Services
Palm Sunday, March 29 @ 10:00 am
Maundy Thursday, April 2 @ 6:00 pm
Good Friday, April 3 @ 6:00 pm
Easter Sunday, April 5 @ 10:00 am
| | Opportunities to Serve Your Neighbors! | | |
And Laundry for All!
Even for those of us with a washer and dryer, laundry can be a chore. But if you need to go to a laundromat, and all your income goes to food and rent, and you don't have car, it can be a major challenge.
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Every week, Micah 6 Community in Pontiac takes 20+ of their neighbors to do laundry at a local laundromat. It is partly about laundry, but it is mostly about catching up, seeing neighbors, keeping folks plugged in, and making sure they know they are loved and cared for, all over a few baskets of dirty clothes. The folks who come share stories, fill out important paperwork with neighbor care staff, work on homework, and get clean underwear. The vibe isn't "social service;" it's a hang-out and do our chores together. If there is a birthday, you better believe there are cookies and cupcakes.
But it's not cheap.
- Each household, each week gets 10 dollars, which usually covers it for that week.
- They drive about 20 households to laundry each week, meaning one week of laundry costs about $200.
- $200 per week X 52 weeks = $10,400 annual cost.
- Each "household" is about 3 people (some are as many as 9!)
| | You can help support this! Donate to Micah 6 at this link. | | |
JubileeDetroit Food Truck is Looking for Help!
Friday, March 13, 3:30-5:30 PM
JubileeDetroit is looking for 3-5 folks from St. John to help serve a meal at Woodbridge Manor Senior Center in Detroit on Friday, March 13, 3:30-5:30 PM. Volunteers will meet the truck at the location and meet the service manager, serve an already prepared meal, interact with folks, and help with on-site cleanup. If you can’t make it to serve the meal, there is also a need for help with dish-washing and reloading the truck afterward at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 39020 Five Mile Rd., Livonia.
Contact Rebecca Parker at 248.476.0851 or 248.318.6786 or rjparker248@gmail.com with questions or for more information.
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Support CARES of Farmington Hills!
Thank you for your food/personal care/cleaning product contributions for our neighbors in need. Please continue to buy a couple of items each week and bring them to the shelf by the coffee area. If you are a Meijer shopper, they have gone to a pricing policy where you need to buy two (or 3) of an item to get a good sale price. Why not bring the extra to CARES? Thank you for your participation in this important ministry. For more information click this link.
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Synod Assembly
Friday and Saturday, May 29-30
Each year, representatives from all the congregations in the SEMI Synod gather to do the business of the church. At the Annual Meeting on March 8 we will elect two people to represent St. John. If you think you might be interested, please speak to John Dresden, Glenn Ming or Pastor Mark.
This year's assembly will be at St. John! We will have 250-300 guest in our building for two days! Watch for opportunities to participate in providing hospitality to our guests.
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Thursday Bible Study
Thursdays @ 10:30 am in the conference room
Each week, Pastor Mark leads a study of the coming Sunday's lessons. Lessons for March 8 are:
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Men's Breakfast
Thursdays @ 7:00 am
All men are welcome! We gather every Thursday morning at 7:00 am for fellowship. We order breakfast at 8:00 and begin Bible study shortly after. Please join us at:
L. George's Restaurant
24250 Sinacola
Farmington 48335 map
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March 5-----The First Thursday
March 8-----Annual Meeting
March 12----AED Training
March 29----New Member Sunday!
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Birthdays this Week
Mar 01---Lexi Tilton
Mar 02---Andy Kurmas
-------------Dave Parker
Mar 04---Joe Casaroll
Mar 08---Alexis Reed
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Sunday, March 1, 2026
George Herbert, hymnwriter, died 1633
An excellent scholar, Herbert served briefly in the English parliament, then became a parish priest. He was known for devoted care of his parishioners, as well as for writing poetry and hymns, including "Come, my way, my truth, my life." He died at age 40.
Monday, March 2, 2026
John Wesley, died 1791;
Charles Wesley, died 1788; renewers of the church
These brothers led a revival originally intended to remain within the Church of England, one that involved frequent communion and advocacy for the poor. Except for a brief time in America, they worked in England. Charles was also a prolific hymn writer. After their deaths, their work led to the formation of the Methodist Church.
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